College's Mission
Bloomfield College, founded in 1868, is an independent college historically related to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and strategically located in the New Jersey-New York metropolitan region. The College offers academic programs leading to a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Master of Arts, Master of Fine Arts, and a Master of Science degrees. The curriculum is designed to provide students with a sound liberal arts grounding as well as with the expertise they will need in their careers.
The mission of Bloomfield College is:
To prepare students to attain academic, personal, and professional excellence, and to demonstrate exemplary civic engagement in a transcultural, national, and global community.
The College is committed to enabling students, particularly those who have traditionally been excluded from higher education, to realize their intellectual and personal goals. Programs of study are rooted in the liberal arts and assist students in obtaining the skills, knowledge, and values they need to become empowered, active individuals engaged in renewing themselves, their relationships, their workplaces, and their communities.
Programs are designed to help students think critically and quantitatively, speak effectively, write clearly, develop aesthetic appreciation, and integrate feelings and values. We believe students must gain a greater understanding of and appreciation for other cultures and for the unique racial and cultural diversity of the United States.
One of the strengths of the College is the rich diversity of its students. The College is committed to this richness because it provides an ideal context for personal growth and a basis for a better society. In joining Bloomfield College, each person assumes a personal responsibility to strive to achieve academic excellence, to take full advantage of the resources offered, and to contribute to the quality of the College community.
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
The roots of the College and its mission can be traced back to 1868. With the influx of nearly two million German immigrants following the European Revolution of 1848, it became necessary to establish a training school for German-speaking ministers "who would be acceptable to the immigrant German communities in the eastern metropolitan area of the United States and who would lead their German members out of their German-oriented culture into the American ways of the new fatherland."
Thus was born the German Theological Seminary of Newark, New Jersey. The institution's first four students met on September 16, 1869, in a room in the First German Presbyterian Church. Courses in theological instruction, Biblical history, pastoral work, natural philosophy, and United States history were taught in both English
and German by the four full-time faculty. Classes were also conducted in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek.
In 1872, the school relocated to Bloomfield, occupying the home of the former Bloomfield Academy at Franklin and Liberty Streets. This structure stands today as Seibert Hall.
As the German immigrants assimilated into American society, the need for a special theological school diminished. The Seminary soon opened its doors
to students from other foreign countries. In 1913, the year it was renamed Bloomfield Theological Seminary, the institution was serving students from some 15 different language groups.
In 1923, the State Board of Education approved a four-year college course leading to the Bachelor of Arts degree, thereby establishing Bloomfield College as an independent division of the Seminary. Eight years later, in 1931, the State Legislature approved the change of the institution's name to Bloomfield College and Seminary.
In 1958, the College came under the sponsorship of the United Presbyterian Church through its New Jersey Synod, now the Synod of the Northeast.
The term "Seminary" was dropped from the institution's name in 1961, and was replaced with the term "Institute." This term was quickly phased out, leaving the institution's name as it is known today: Bloomfield College.
More than 55 nationalities are represented on the College's 11-acre campus, reflecting the College's commitment to diversity and to the advancement of its distinctive mission:
"To prepare students to attain academic, personal, and professional excellence, and to demonstrate exemplary civic engagement in a transcultural, national, and global community."
ACCREDITATION AND AFFILIATION
Bloomfield College is chartered by the State of New Jersey and accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. Its academic programs are approved by the New Jersey Commission on Higher Education. The mailing address and telephone numbers of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools is
3624 Market Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104.
(267) 284 5020
The Nursing Program at Bloomfield is accredited by the New Jersey Board of Nursing and the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. The Program is a member of the National League for Nursing. The mailing address and telephone number of the New Jersey Board of Nursing is
124 Halsey Street, 6th floor, P.O. Box 45010, Newark, NJ 07101, (973) 504-6430.
Bloomfield College is related to the Presbyterian Church, USA, through the Synod of the Northeast and is a member of the Association of Presbyterian Colleges and Universities.
BLOOMFIELD COLLEGE STATEMENT OF SHARED VALUES
We, the members of the Bloomfield College Community, take pride in ourselves and in our Institution. To that end, we are committed to upholding the highest standards of ethics, integrity, and professionalism in all that we do. We recognize that excellence in teaching and learning flourishes in an environment where each of us is free to express our ideas in ways that recognize and respect our differences. We are committed to celebrating the rich diversity of all members of the campus community and the community at large.
Therefore, in an effort to attract and retain exceptional students, faculty, staff, administrators, and trustees who will continue the wonderful tradition of the College, we actively support behavior that is consistent with the values shared by the Bloomfield College Community.
Honesty
The College promotes an intellectually stimulating environment where all interactions are open, honest, and free of bias and where the responsibility for all individuals is to be straightforward and trustworthy.
Respect
for Person
The College embraces the high diversity and culture of its faculty, staff, students, administrators, and trustees, including but not limited to their race, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation, ability, and socioeconomic status.
for Property
The College seeks to provide an environment that is safe, one in which individual and institutional property are respected and protected. The College also values the integrity of intellectual work that is creative, resourceful, and innovative and, therefore, enforces strict policies against plagiarism, cheating, and the misuse of traditionally published and/or Internet resources.
Commitment to Achieving Excellence
The College encourages excellence in intellectual, personal, professional and social development, and an appreciation for spiritual wellness while fostering a commitment to excellence in teaching, learning, and all aspects of work.